Move Furniture Out
It’s a fact that painting is much easier when there is nothing in your way. This means empty out the area as much as possible. If you have large furniture that you can’t remove then pull it all into the middle of the room away from the walls and cover with drop cloths or plastic sheeting.
Protect Floors
A few spreads of newsprint under your roller tray simply isn’t enough. If you want to preserve your carpet or wooden floor boards after you paint the room you’ll need to use drop cloths or plastic sheeting throughout the room. A professional drop cloth will help protect against spills and also help keep paint from being dragged through the rest of your house.
Remove Wall Hangings
If you think you’ll save time by leaving your paintings and mirrors on the wall you’re wrong. Cutting in around wall hangings is actually more time consuming than removing them. Plus you may want to change your room around before you paint again, so it’s always better to take everything off the wall and paint the whole surface. If you intend to reconfiguring your wall hangings then make sure you remove nails or picture hangers and fill in the holes.
Remove Outlet Covers and Light Switch Plates
Don’t try to cut in around little outlet covers and light switches as it will unavoidably result in visible brush strokes or smudged paint around the covers. If you can’t remove the covers then tape these off before you start with a professional masking tape.
Tape Windowsills Skirting Boards
To avoid smearing paint along your skirting boards and windowsills, tape off all these areas before you start. Make sure you select the correct tape to suit the application. When applying do not stretch the tape, simply rub on with firm hand pressure.
Once you have finished painting, allow the paint surface to completely dry before removing the tape. It is recommended you pull the tape slowly back onto itself at a 45 degree angle to ensure that the tape will come off cleanly without damaging your paint job. For stubborn edges score with a knife before you pull it off. This will break any bond with the paint.
Clean the Walls to be Painted
Although it seems like an unnecessary step it’s important to wipe the walls down before you paint. Spotless, uniform surfaces will always give you more professional-looking result. Dust is the biggest enemy of a good finish. Whether you can see it or not, most walls will have a build up of dirt, dust and oils. If paint doesn’t have a smooth, clean surface to adhere to, it simply won’t look as good or last as long.